AICN EXCLUSIVE!! Learn How ANGEL’s Sixth Season Begins!!

I am – Hercules!!
Hot on the heels of Joss Whedon’s hugely popular “Buffy: Season Eight” series for Dark Horse Comics (consistently the publisher’s top-selling title since its launch last March) comes a Whedon-supervised “Angel: Season Six” funnybook series for IDW.
“Angel: After The Fall” doesn’t launch till November, but IDW publisher/editor-in-chief Chris Ryall was good enough to make available to Ain’t It Cool exclusively the first five pages of the tale. They’re lowish-rez 72 dpi, but still sharp enough that one can make out what happened to Los Angeles after Angel, Illyria, Spike, Krevlornswath, et al made their final stand against Marcus Hamilton and his Senior Partner masters.

Special shout out to Roland, AICN’s business chief, for his patience in sorting out some vexing technical issues!

i'm not totally thrilled with buffy season eight--dawn as a giant is just annoying and weird--but i will check the first few issues out anyhow. what i really want is a spike/faith/anya/giles comic. will it happen? no. but i can dream.

I guess the long-form of comics may suit Wheddon's ideas for continuing these stories; but is there no desire (on his part) to pursue feature films? Is it because SMG and David Boreanaz have disowned their former characters? Next interview somebody should as DB, "So, I hear your character is an FBI agent who was cursed by gypsies to have a soul..."

...but I'm still intrigued, much more so than with the Buffy comics (which just make me want to punch things). This is an interesting start - if they don't get too fancy or outlandish, it could be a credible continuation of the story. We'll see. "Angel" was always more interesting than Buffy anyway - I credit that to David Greenwalt, to mitigated Whedon's baser instincts.

Tonight, on a very special episode of Puff the Magic Dragon...<p>
The art's good but doesn't quite seem that the artist's mastered drawing Angel: that close-up shot on p4 looks like a doodle in some 16 year old girl's notepad.<p>
Otherwise a cool start, though. LA in hell is a great concept (like that town that got shifted into hell in planescape).<p>
My prediction? Gunn is probably dead. Krevlornswath won't appear for a long while, having disappeared. But plenty of opportunity for Illyria goodness.

Cause I have read two of the Spike spinoff comics, and there are a number of Angel comic spinoffs that take place AFTER S5. According to the Spike book "Asylum", the only ones who didn't survive are the ones we saw die in the finale of the show.
If any of you haven't read it, pick up Asylum. I thought it'd be a fun but cheesy read, but it's actually REALLY good. The writer really nails Joss-speak, and he nails Spike's character and speech patterns perfectly. It feels like Joss himself wrote it.
The Spike Vs Dracula books, I'm afraid, are not as good...they're fairly hit or miss.

... it seems alright, but doesn't feel "right", you know. The way Seasons 6 and 7 (despite being good) didn't feel like the rest of the series. This, on the other hand, feels like an actual continuation of Angel. It feels like the show, and not just a comic book.

But "it" didn't all start with Fred. And it could be Cordy, but did WR&H kill her? Actually, WR&H didn't kill Fred either. Technically, the "girl" it all started with was Buffy, but even though she died twice, it was definitely not WR&H that kill her either time. Oh wait, what about the girl in the first episode! WR&H didn't directly kill her, but a client of theirs did, which they facilitated.

This is awful.
5 pages of guff.
Could they not have just left it?
Now the Buffiverse is mired down in what is & isn't canon arguments.
So that novel with The Immortal - just a load of pish was it?
He'll never get the movies made now.
Note to Joss - YOU ARE NOT GEORGE LUCAS.

was a little confusing, i agree. If the girl in question is Buffy, then Wolfram & Hart didn't kill her.<p>
If the girl in question is Cordelia, then arguably it was the PTB that killed her, not WRH.<p>
And if it's Fred, then, yes, WRH killed her but - as DocBosch points out - it didn't start with her.
Also, canon in Buffy and Angel is really clear. The tv episodes and the comics that Whedon wrote/oversaw are canon. Any of the books aren't.
Also, Buffy Season 8 is frakking great so far. Esp the new Faith arc.

I may have my Angel events mixed up, but I think I've figured it out. The "it" could be the apocalypse that's currently going on, and not the entire Angel saga. He begins by talking about working for Wolfram, then says they killed the "girl", and it opened his eyes, and he took a stand. So "she" could be Fred, if her death is what caused him to turn against the senior partners. I'm not sure, I have to go back and brush-up on my Angel S5.

In the original script for the finale, he died, and then they decided to change to how he was GOING to die (Illyria and Spike both make references to his condition), so it wouln't be as depressing. I don't want to see some magical swami healing him, just so we can use him in the comic. The character was getting kind of old anyway. I'm sure they'd love to be using Wesley right now, as I know they wouldn't have killed him, had they had a season six, but I doubt they'l lbe retconning that too. Looks pretty good so far.

Sorry dude, I must have missed Joss' memo on what is & isn't canon.
I'll assume though that it's a case of tv show & these crappy comics are canon?
Oh, I should have been more exact in my comments - I wasn't meaning big screen - rather tv movies.
The way SMG's career is going it wouldn't be a problem.
Then again, the movies/tv movies/spin offs are all just fanboy wankery - how often do we hear Ripper get a mention?

Read the order of the thoughts. He joins Wolfram & Hart. They change him. Then they kill the girl. That opens his eyes to the need to stand up against them leading to Season 5 series finale. Fred was the only girl to die then and W&H directly caused it. Buffy's deaths had nothing to do with W&H and were Angel S5, the girl who died by W&H in the 1st episode from season 1, was well, season 1, and Cordy died in season 5, but her death was caused by the big boss from season 4, who W&H opposed.

It's a damn joke that this website insists on calling a comic series season xx of the tv series it was based on. It is NOT the same thing. Following your logic, I have some insider information as to where to find seasons 7,8,9 and 10: season 7 will explode onto CD audio books, season 8 will amaze you with it's premier on old school A.M. Radio drama (even featuring one of the original cast members voices),season 9 will include the kiddies as it will blow your mind in 12 consecutive coloring books with variant covers for the parents to color for themselves, and finally, season 10 will return back to the medium it came from by airing on a series of infomercials on late night TV.

It isn't AICN calling the new Buffy comics "season 8", etc, it's the comics themselves. Check the cover for yourself.<p>
Ultimately, it's up to Whedon how he wants to continue the story. If he decides to do season 9 in puppet theatre, then you can bitch all you want but that's canon.<p>
@DocBosch: your explanation makes sense: the 'it' is the current apocalypse and the girl is Fred.

And Lionsfan....You keep cryin' and we'll keep readin' since it IS Season Six of Angel. Just because you don't like it you can't decide it isn't canon. It is pretty ridiculous that Buffy Season 8 started last MARCH and people are still arguing that Joss can't continue HIS story HIS way.

...of mine is the covers. When the old Buffy comics were being done I was bugged that most featured Buffy and Angel looking directly into the eyes of the reader. I felt like I was being invited into a threesome. (Not a bad idea but they both look kinda flimsy to me.) Now with the Angel comic we once again have the "glowering" Angel looking out from the cover. Unless a character is built like Power Girl they should not be looking at the reader.

my problem with it is that it is the pussys way out for joss. If he doesn't have the time/energy/desire to continue the story, then do NOT continue it. Don't try to tell me to read the book, or comic book or video game to get the rest of the story. Is that how we want this seasons eps of lost,heroes to manifest themselves? You're buying into the hype of a 2nd rate attempt at something I'm assuming we all loved. Boo hoo

is my cousin and I'm very proud that he's moving up the Buffyverse food chain rather quickly, going from Spike: Asylum, to Spike: Shadowpuppets and now to this. Franco, if you're reading this, congratulations from your family in Chicago!

These first few pages remind me of Buffy's 6th season, when she return from the grave and it went all moody. I remember that as (arguably) the most lackluster season. Granted, we only saw a few pages, but I'm just sayin', as fan, I'm seeing a strong comparison. And considering how good Angel Season 5 was... this book has a lot to live up to.

**SPOILER**
I don't remember where I read this, an interview I think, but Gunn was vamped in the final battle. He's the villain for at least the first arc or so.
Considering Gunn's history, I think that's ironic, horrific fate for him...and more interesting story-wise than simply killing him off.

i swear i was shouting at the tv. i couldn't believe they killed wes. it was crap! damn it it now i'm getting upset all over again....anyway, glad to see that they are continuing one way or another. can't wait to get my hands on it.

I've always thought it was pretty clear that Gunn didn't make it.
***SPOILER(ish) ALERT***
A) It wouldn't make sense with the way his story was heading or had been. Gunn was involved with Fred's death, and needed to atone for it. The only way he could really do that is to go out doing what she would have wanted him to do; Fighting 'the good fight'.
B) Everyone knew he was going to die in that battle. Illyria mentions it, Gunn accepts it, etc. We just didn't get to see it. He seemed to have the same type of wound that killed Wesley, but given the fact that he was more of a warrior, it didn't kill him as abruptly as it did 'ol Wes.
C) Both Joss and Jeff Bell mentioned Gunn'n non-survival on the season five overview (Season 5 box). Jeff Bell says something along the lines of it making sense that the superheroes were the ones to survive, while Joss out and out mentions 'a soon to be dead Gunn'.
Would I have liked to see Gunn live? Hell yes! He was a favorite! BUT, I think his death was a perfect and fitting end to his arc. He went out fighting the good fight.

I havn't bought a comic book in twenty years (that would have made me 8 years old) maybe less, anyways I will be the first in line to buy this one as I am HUGE Angel fan. I was pissed when Cordy and Wes died, I always thought Fred would make a come back....but now the sky's the limit as to what they can do on paper, I just hope the art will get better, i'm not artist but I would like to see a little better.

I just downloaded James Marsters band Ghost of the Robot,there song It's Nothing.....it's fucking great. Anyways who the fuck is Krevlornswath ? Are we talking Lorne? Why not just say Lorne? I am confused.

I hope none of those comments were aimed at my comments because I was just trying to keep things in perspective. I'm ELATED to have more "canon" (yes, it's official kids) Angel, and sure I'll be drooling by the end of the first issue. I'm just praying it lives up to the last season which pwned my ass!

Season five of Angel would not have been as good. Hell... the scariest episode of any TV show EVER, remains the episode in which Spike has to deal with the tortured ghost, and that asshole who tortured them.
Nevertheless; Angel riding the dragon is pretty freakin awesome. It would make more sense for him to be able to ride that dragon then take him down. He also needs a ride. Angel has always been about the RIDE. Now; he has a ride that spits flames. Why he needs a dragon and LA is in hell... that's the real mystery.

I've always wanted to know what happened after they (Angel and Co.) ran up taht alley into W&H's army. I wanted to see Fred/Illryia "...do some more violence" and I wanted to know if Gunn bit the bullet. Angel riding a dragon and L.A. in hell? Brilliant! I'm buying this in November.

Although the Buffy comics are billed as 'season 8,' this Angel comic is not officially called 'season 6' because it's only a miniseries. Fans are unofficially calling it season 6, because it is the first comic to both be set after the show ended and actually deal with happened at the end of the show. The reason why this is being considered canon is because it involves Joss' direct ideas for what season 6 would have been. Just like the current Faith arc in the Buffy comics involves actually story elements for what would have been the Faith spinoff (if Eliza hadn't gone with 'Tru Calling.')
<p> And Joss isn't wimping out. If you've read any interviews, you'd know that attempts were made to do those tv movies, but the networks wouldn't pony up the money, and Joss (yes, I use his first name. Get over it) didn't want to compromise his vision with a shitty budget and network interference. In the comics, he gets to tell the story how HE wants, with unlimited special fx, and without any annoying prima donna actors (ahem, Sarah and David) who want to forget the roles that made them stars.

to have the tv budget in mind when doing these comics. It's very unlikely that if this show (or Buffy) had gone on for another season a scene like the one seen in the comic would've happened. This way, anything goes, and while fun, doesn't feel like part of a tv show but something else entirely (a comic). So, you either say it's a comic based on Whedon's show(s) or you say this is the way it could've been if the show(s) hadn't been cancelled it can't be both.

This isn't "a comic based on Whedon's shows(s)". This is the actual story of those shows continued in comic book form.<p>
It's also pointless to ask how the story would have been different if it had been a further season of tv. It is how it is, and either you like it or you don't.

This is how I explained the "canon" issue to my girlfriend who was a fan of the shows - If they were to ever make a movie or TV show in the Buffy-verse again, the events in the comics (Buffy Season 8 and Angel: After the Fall) will have happened. Why? Because this comes from the creator and has been OK'd by the company that holds the rights. It's that easy.

I think it is cool if this continues the story... will I buy it... NO... will I look for updates here... YES... Does the artist suck... YES... The cover and inside pictures look nothing like Angel. Boy is that artist terrible. That would be my only gripe Angel Season 6 Artist = SUCKS!

It doesn't bother me if Whedon wants to do a comic series based on his characters, and I really am not going to get all fired up about weather or no people choose to accept this as the sacred 'CANON'. Whatever works for you. But calling it 'Season 6' or calling the Buffy comic 'Season 8' annoys me to no end. It's fine if you want to believe it's a continuation of the story, but it's clearly not a continuation of the TV SERIES unless it's on TV. So can we just call it something else besides 'Season 6'? Calling it that just smacks of delusion and denial that the TV Series is over.

...and it's well definitely Fred that they're talking about. Angel says that her death is the catalyst for his taking a stand against W&H a bunch of times, about not letting her die in vain. And given that he's talking about the events of S5, it's daft to assume he's talking about the girl from S1. DAFT, I say.</P>Now that both series are continuing, there's no barriers for the many crossovers between the two shows that Joss would have liked to do. I hope plenty of them show up. And as it was a plan for S6 to have elements of Fred resurface in Illyria and the whole issue of them sharing a body, I wouldn't be surprised if that plot cropped up at some point. Personally I'd like to see Gunn alive - his part in letting Illyria die is nothing compared to Willows rampage of death, Anya ripping a whole football teams heart out, etc... I don't think he needs to die. But I think he probably has anyway.

Hey, Richard Cranium, the official name of the comic is only ever going to be called ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL. You'll never hear us at IDW refer to it as "Season 6."
I'm really glad the preview has been so well-received here. There's so much more I wish we could show, but this will have to suffice for now... see you in November!

Except Buffy's gang being with Dark Horse, and Angel and Spike being with IDW. But I guess it's the same as Buffy on UPN while Angel was on the WB. Crossovers won't be impossible, but with the legal wrangling, they're going to save it for when it really counts.
<p>
I just don't get why every single freakin' time we get a Buffy-related comic talkback, people are pissy about the 'season 8' thing. Get. Over. It. And thanks, Ryall, for confirming what I said earlier about 'season 6' being the unofficial name.
<p> And Hank, you certainly CAN have it both ways. For the same reasons studios do reshoots. You have the script as written, but then, because you get more money, you can ramp up the action or improve a set piece or something. So these are material from Joss' scripts (or Joss-approved scripts) but produced in an environment where budget isn't an issue. Not so hard to understand, I shouldn't think.

I believe Joss has said there are no legal barriers keeping the characters from "Angel" out of "Buffy: Season Eight" (and, in fact, we should expect cameos by Angel and Spike there in the near future).
<br><br>Not sure about IDW's ability to accommodate visits by Buffy, Giles, Xander and Willow, but I suspect the crossovers could theoretically run both ways.

I wasn't so much referring to the series publisher with the 'Season 6' comment, I figured that wasn't the official title. That comment was more directed at the people who are clinging to the TV series so tightly that they've convinced themselves that this comic series is the same thing. Once again, more power to all the people are psyched about it and want to read it, but it's not the same thing, and I find that putting the 'Season' connotation in front of it in order to try to convince yourself and others that it's the same thing is kinda sad.

LA in Hell reminds me of Ghostbusters when the Containment Unit exploded! <p><p>
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria!!!

So I guess Firefly definitely didn't continue as a movie, with a comic cook in between to bridge the continuity. (And you know, its not as if Star Trek, Star Wars, X-Files, etc, continued in other medias.)

Umm, the first line spoken in the series is a VO:
"Los Angeles. You see it at night and it shines. Like a beacon. People are drawn to it. People and other things. They come for all sorts of reasons. My reason? No surprise there. It started with a girl." The girl is Buffy; anything else would be just plain goofy.

Uh, no. I understand what you're saying, but... The girl is Fred. She died because Angel brought the gang over to Wolfram and Hart, and Angel decided her death wouldn't be in vain. The author of the comic responded to the confusion and said so this morning in the thread for this article at Whedonesque.com.

They're written/overseen by the people who did the shows, so... Yes. They ARE continuations of the TV series. Sure it's not exactly the same, since yeah, they're being told in comics form this time. But the point is that they are indeed continuations of the stories by the original creators. And in the case of After the Fall, the comics are following the storylines the creators would have pursued if the show hadn't been canceled. But why does it matter to you? Since you don't seem to be a fan, it's interesting that you care so much. You don't have to read them.

So i post in it. You don't, yet you post in it. In fact, you seem to get bothered by it. I never said you had a problem, just that your behavior is sad. Not to say that calling a comic book a "season" isn't sad, or posting 9 times in a TalkBack isn't sad, but it's a lot more sad that you have such a personal interest in what other people do.

Stop trolling, dude. For me personally, the main attraction of these shows was the creative forces behind them. I like good writing. And to call it fan fiction is just stupid. It's not written by fans, it's written by the people who made the shows good in the first place. I loved the actors back in the day, but without those writers they would have had nothing to work with. For the people who read these comics, it's about seeing these creators writing these stories and these characters again. That's all. You don't have to like it, or read it, but you don't have to be a cunt about it either.

I love the comics medium and I love Joss Whedon's creations. So while I might not think they're the absolute best thing ever, I'm still pleased to read these comics. They're far from mediocre. And Buffy was so heavily inspired by comics to begin with, that I find it works pretty well in either medium.

personally, i used to dig buffy and angel as tv shows but have no interest in reading the comics. it doesn't feel the same and even reading those pages above made it very obvious that the comics werent for me. HOWEVER, i think those on my camp should extend a little politeness and let people enjoy what they enjoy in peace.

*Lt. Kaffee:HOWEVER, i think those on my camp should extend a little politeness and let people enjoy what they enjoy in peace.*
Thank you very much! Couldnt agree more - us Angel fans are glad to get the character back, and nothing is gonna dampen that!

"Without the original actors participating, without their expertise with the characters, this is all really nothing more than fan fiction." See, I have no problem with you feeling that way. My issue was with how bothered you personally were because people choose to feel differently. I'm no big fan of comics. I usually don't consider comics or novels(or cartoons) written adjacent to a property actual canon, mainly because the creators don't consider them canon; it is like proffesional fan-fiction. That said, I don't see this comic and the continuing Buffy comics as "fan fiction" because the people who decide what is part of real story have said that this is part of the real story. Sure, I'd perfer tv episodes or movies, but short of that I'd be happy with Whedon coming over my house an putting on a shadow puppet show telling me what season 6 of Angel was supposed to be like, and I'd consider it canon. Look at it this way, if they ever make anymore Buffyverse shows or movies, they will most likly be based on or include what is happening in these "season" comics. My question to you is, with such devotion to the actors, what if any of these shows (Buffy, Angel) had been continued but without the original writers/creator? Would you not consider that canon since half the creative team is missing?

Point taken. I guess I was just so emotionally involved in both Angel and Buffy - and the characters in particular (Did anyone EVER think that Buffy's Wesley Windam Price could not only kick ass, but make me SYMPATHIZE with him because he was drawn to a killer?) - that I just can't buy in to Angelverse going on without them. Wow. Just talking about it makes me realize how much I miss the show...

It's funny how we're all pretty much coming from the same place, just from different sides. These shows managed to suck me in so much, especially Angel, it's hard to know there's an official continuation to the story somewhere out there and not find out what it is. I guess I'm generally more story centric; though I loved the characters, I attributed it more to the writing then the acting. But I think we can ALL agree that we'd rather this be an ACTUAL 6th season of Angel (and 8th season of Buffy) or a TV or theatrical movie. But even if you don't like comics, you can't be upset at the existence of a visual medium that shows what would've happened...

I'm sure most of the trollers here are closet Buffy/Angel fans who are still trying to recover from the shows being yanked from their life and are angry at what they see as a poor substitute. It's okay. We're here for you. And so is Joss.

to lionsfan who wrote:
"my problem with it is that it is the pussys way out for joss. If he doesn't have the time/energy/desire to continue the story, then do NOT continue it. Don't try to tell me to read the book, or comic book or video game to get the rest of the story. Is that how we want this seasons eps of lost,heroes to manifest themselves? You're buying into the hype of a 2nd rate attempt at something I'm assuming we all loved. Boo hoo"
you're a dumbass who should learn to keep your mouth shut about things you clearly don't know about.
it wasn't joss's idea to cancel buffy and angel, then make a bunch of comics. buffy was canceled because sarah michelle gellar didn't want to sign on for an 8th season. angel was canceled abruptly and unexpectedly by the WB. buffy couldn't continue w/o smg, and joss tried to get angel on another network, but failed (somehow, and yet networks continue to spew out the garbage that's been on the air for the past 4-5 years). he didn't take the pussy's way out. he had a story and had no other way of finishing it.